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California Wax Myrtle
Morella californica
  
About California Wax Myrtle (Morella californica) 62 Nurseries Carry This Plant California Wax Myrtle (Morella californica) is a native shrub in the Myracaceae (Myrtle) family that is found primarily along the coast in northern and central California, although it does occur as far south as Los Angeles County and as far north as British Columbia.

It is moderately fast growing and long-lived. It grows in an upright form, with active growth during the spring and summer.

Flowers are yellow and bloom in the early summer. Dark-green leaves remain on the plant throughout the year. This species tends to grow in dunes, hills and woodlands at elevations from sea level to 2000 feet. This species makes an excellent small garden tree, especially in coastal gardens, or inland if given slightly more moisture and afternoon shade.
Plant Description
Plant Type
Plant Type
Shrub

Size
Size
6 - 33 ft tall
20 ft wide

Form
Form
Upright

Growth Rate
Growth Rate
Fast, Moderate

Dormancy
Dormancy
Evergreen

Flower Color
Flower Color
Yellow

Flowering Season
Flowering Season
Summer

Wildlife Supported
 


Landscaping Information
Sun
Sun
Part Shade, Full Sun

Moisture
Moisture
Low, Moderate - High

Summer Irrigation
Summer Irrigation
Max 1x / week once established

Nurseries
Nurseries

Ease of Care
Ease of Care
Very Easy

Cold Tolerance
Cold Tolerance
Tolerates cold to 20° F

Soil Drainage
Soil Drainage
Medium

Soil Description
Soil Description
Tolerates a variety of soils. Soil PH: 4.0 - 8.0

Common uses
Common uses
Bank Stabilization, Hedges, Deer Resistant

Companion Plants
Companion Plants
Use with trees such as Firs (Abies spp.), Coast Redwood (Sequoia sempervirens), Pines (Pinus spp.), and Spruce (Picea spp.), or with shrubs such as Manzanita (Arctostaphylos spp.), Ceanothus spp., Coffeeberry (Frangula spp.), and Coast Silktassel (Garrya elliptica).

Maintenance
Maintenance
May be sheared to form a hedge or to create a more formal appearance.

Propagation
Propagation?
For propagating by seed: 2 to 3 months stratification

Sunset Zones
Sunset Zones?
5*, 6, 7, 8, 9, 14*, 15*, 16*, 17*, 18, 19, 20, 21, 22*, 23*, 24*

Natural Setting
Site Type
Site Type
Dunes, coastal hills, inland foothills and valleys in conjunction with northern coastal prairie or scrub, woodland, or sometimes wetland/riparian communities

Climate
Climate
Annual Precipitation: 11.9" - 107.4", Summer Precipitation: 0.18" - 2.88", Coldest Month: 41.4" - 56.4", Hottest Month: 56.7" - 77.0", Humidity: 0.01" - 22.42", Elevation: 3" - 4145"

Alternative Names
Botanical Names: Myrica californica


Sources include: Wikipedia. All text shown in the "About" section of these pages is available under the Creative Commons Attribution-ShareAlike License. Plant observation data provided by the participants of the California Consortia of Herbaria, Sunset information provided by Jepson Flora Project. Propogation from seed information provided by the Santa Barbara Botanical Garden from "Seed Propagation of Native California Plants" by Dara E. Emery. Sources of plant photos include CalPhotos, Wikimedia Commons, and independent plant photographers who have agreed to share their images with Calscape. Other general sources of information include Calflora, CNPS Manual of Vegetation Online, Jepson Flora Project, Las Pilitas, Theodore Payne, Tree of Life, The Xerces Society, and information provided by CNPS volunteer editors, with special thanks to Don Rideout. Climate data used in creation of plant range maps is from PRISM Climate Group, Oregon State University, using 30 year (1981-2010) annual "normals" at an 800 meter spatial resolution.

Links:   Jepson eFlora Taxon Page  CalPhotos  Wikipedia  Calflora


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